Latest news with #HouseOversight
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
GOP House committee chair yet to issue a subpoena for Epstein files
A week after a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for records related to Jeffrey Epstein, the chairman of the full committee still hasn't issued the order. The delay stands in stark contrast to the subpoena Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) — the House Oversight chairman — issued and signed within 24 hours of a similar subcommittee vote that compelled Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to testify before Congress. And it raises questions about Republicans' willingness to hold the Trump administration accountable for its failure to release the Epstein files in the face of significant backlash from the president's GOP base.
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Ghislaine Maxwell wants immunity or a pardon before congressional deposition
Washington — Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of aiding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is willing to provide information to a congressional committee next month during a deposition but only if she is granted immunity or is pardoned, according to a letter from her attorney obtained by CBS News. Last week, the GOP-led House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence, to sit for a deposition as fallout over the Trump administration's handling of the case continues to intensify. A deposition was scheduled for Aug. 11 at a federal prison in Tallahassee, where Maxwell is serving her sentence. However, in a letter Tuesday addressed to House Oversight chairman Rep. James Comer, Maxwell's attorney David Markus said she is willing to sit before the committee but only after certain legal appeals are finalized or his client is granted clemency or a pardon by President Trump. "Public reports — including your own statements — indicate that the Committee intends to question Ms. Maxwell in prison and without a grant of immunity. Those are non-starters. Ms. Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity," Markus wrote. Markus wrote that any questions to Maxwell would have to be given to her in advance to "ensure accuracy and fairness," and that conducting the deposition in prison would create "security risks and undermines the integrity of the process." Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse underage girls. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 as he faced sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Markus wrote that because Maxwell's ongoing appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn her conviction and other legal issues are currently pending, "any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool." However, Markus wrote, if President Trump were to pardon Maxwell or commute her sentence, "she would be willing—and eager—to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C." If those conditions are not agreed to, Markus wrote, Maxwell "will have no choice but to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights." A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee said in a statement that the committee will respond to Markus' letter "soon," but said it "will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony." In a letter to Maxwell informing her of the subpoena, Comer wrote that the committee is seeking Maxwell's testimony "to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations." Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse underage girls. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 as he faced sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Todd Blanche, the second highest-ranking Justice Department official, met with Maxwell in Tallahassee on July 24 and 25 to discuss Epstein. After the questioning had ended, Markus declined to comment "on the substance" of the meeting, but told reporters outside the office that "there were a lot of questions and we went all day." Neither President Trump nor Markus have ruled out the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell, but on Monday Mr. Trump said he is "allowed" to pardon Maxwell but that nobody has asked him to issue one, yet. Scott MacFarlane contributed to this reporting
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
House Democrats seek access to Jeffrey Epstein's "birthday book" said to include letter from Trump
House Democrats are seeking a copy of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged 2003 "birthday book" that is said to include a "bawdy" letter signed by President Trump to the convicted sex offender. In a letter to the representatives of Epstein's estate on Friday, Rep. Ro Khanna and House Oversight Ranking Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia, both of California, said the request comes amid Mr. Trump's "desperate attempts to quell public interest in the release of files" related to the disgraced financier. "Recent public reporting indicates that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in possession of a document commonly referred to as 'the birthday book,' compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003 in celebration of Mr. Epstein's 50th birthday, which has clear relevance to this case," they wrote in a letter. "The book is relevant for ongoing congressional oversight of the Department of Justice's handling of the Epstein investigation and prosecution, as well as the Trump Administration's decision to declassify and release only a handful of documents from its Epstein files while withholding others from the public," the letter stated. The Democratic lawmakers requested a "complete, unredacted copy" of the alleged birthday book no later than Aug. 10. The House Oversight Committee is pursuing its own inquiry into the Epstein saga and has separately issued a subpoena for Maxwell, the financier's imprisoned accomplice and former girlfriend, to sit for a deposition the following day, on Aug. 11. Epstein, 66, who leveraged his wealth to make connections with many high-profile figures in the U.S. and abroad, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published a story that claimed a letter signed by Mr. Trump was included in the book along with letters from other friends and acquaintances of Epstein. The president has denied the report, calling the letter a "FAKE." Last week, Mr. Trump filed a libel lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, the reporters who wrote the story, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, alleging the paper's claims were "false, defamatory, unsubstantiated, and disparaging." The lawsuit, which also accuses the Journal of "clear journalistic failures," includes two counts of defamation, each seeking at least $10 billion. A Dow Jones spokesperson said in a statement: "We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit." Mr. Trump has previously acknowledged a past friendship with Epstein years ago but has said they had a "falling out." The Trump administration has been facing increased pressure to disclose more details on Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in a Florida state court in 2008 under a controversial plea deal that allowed him to serve only 13 months in jail. Last week, Mr. Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony related to Epstein. One of the Justice Department's requests to unseal grand jury transcripts has been denied. The order from Mr. Trump came after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo stating that Epstein did not have an incriminating "client list," did not try to blackmail any prominent figures, and died by suicide. The memo drew backlash from across the political spectrum, including from some fervent Trump backers, in part because Bondi and other administration figures had promised to release much more information on Epstein. Meanwhile, Todd Blanche, the second-highest-ranking Justice Department official, met with Maxwell at the U.S. attorney's office in Tallahassee, Florida, to discuss Epstein over 1 ½ days of interviews. Her lawyer said, "She didn't hold anything back." Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee after being convicted three years ago of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. On Friday, Mr. Trump ducked questions about a possible pardon for Maxwell, telling reporters after landing in Scotland, "I don't know anything about the conversation" between Maxwell and Blanche. "A lot of people are asking me about pardons. Obviously, this is no time to be talking about pardons," the president said. Before his trip, reporters kept asking Mr. Trump about the Epstein case. "People should really focus on how well the country is doing," he insisted. He shut down another question by saying, "I don't want to talk about that."Joe Walsh, Kathryn Watson, Melissa Quinn and Jacob Rosen contributed to this report.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maxwell's lawyer says she's undecided on appearing for congressional testimony
A lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell said his client is still deciding whether she will honor a congressional subpoena demanding her testimony next month before House lawmakers. 'We have to make a decision about whether she will do that or not,' said David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and co-conspirator of the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'That's been scheduled for the week of August 11th and we haven't gotten back to them on whether we'll do that.' Markus delivered these remarks after Maxwell completed a two-day interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as part of the Trump administration's continued inquiry into the charges against Epstein's circle. The comments suggest Maxwell is weighing whether to assert privileges to resist the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee's effort to compel her testimony. Importantly, Maxwell is still appealing her conviction on the sex trafficking conspiracy that led to a 20-year jail sentence. If Maxwell asserts her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, there's little Congress can do to pierce it, except offer her a rarely used form of immunity. It's unclear if the Justice Department negotiated any sort of immunity agreement with Maxwell for her testimony this week. But Markus said Maxwell answered every question posed by Blanche, covering about 100 different people. 'She didn't hold back,' he said. Markus also said there's been no discussion with the Trump administration about a possible pardon 'just yet, ' adding, 'We hope [President Donald Trump] exercises that power in the right and just way." The Justice Department has long housed deep doubts about Maxwell's credibility — a sentiment Speaker Mike Johnson echoed this week. 'Could she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness? I mean, this is a person who's been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts and acts against innocent young people,' Johnson told reporters. 'I mean, can we trust what she's going to say? … I don't know, but we'll have to see.' GOP leaders so far have pointed to the Justice Department interviewing Maxwell as a positive step, with more questions lingering over the congressional push to get information from the Epstein associate. A spokesperson for Oversight Committee Republicans had no comment Friday afternoon. Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP leaders submarined by Epstein uproar
House Republican leaders who have tried to contain the furor over the Jeffrey Epstein files lost their grip on the matter this week — and surrendered control of the wider operations of the lower chamber. A bonanza of subpoenas for Epstein-related materials and testimony erupted in the House Oversight Committee. A House Appropriations Committee markup was postponed amid threats of Democrats forcing more Epstein-related materials. And a rebellion on the House Rules Committee over Epstein amendments thwarted plans for House votes, prompting leaders to begin August recess one day early. Hanging over the whirlwind of a week is a discharge petition that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is vowing to spearhead for his bipartisan resolution — co-sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — calling for the release of the Epstein files. The mechanism will not be ready for action until September, given the House's strict rules, meaning the Epstein saga will still be a live issue on Capitol Hill when lawmakers return from their August recess. Supporters of the effort say they have no plans to relent. 'I think it'll grow,' Massie said when asked if he thinks the Epstein controversy will still be of interest when the House returns in September. That prediction runs counter to the posture of House GOP leaders, who had hoped that the coming August recess would give the Epstein saga time to fade. The Speaker this week argued that the courts need time to work through the process, giving deference to the administration to release information on its own terms before the House compelled it to do so. In a sign of that position, House GOP leaders acquiesced to members of the House Rules Committee who wanted to avoid taking more votes on Democratic amendments on Epstein, putting the panel into an indefinite recess and delaying bills that were scheduled to come up for a full floor vote — though Johnson publicly said the move was to avoid playing Democrats' 'political games.' President Trump made an overture to members of the Rules Republicans at another White House event on Tuesday amid the drama, inviting a group of them into the Oval Office. But Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said that Trump thanked them for their work on the 'big, beautiful bill' of his tax cut and spending priorities without mentioning the Epstein holdup. Not every Rules panel member was there — with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), one of those calling for more Epstein action by Republicans, saying he was not made aware of the gathering. While the moves made by Republicans were shocking, they were not surprising for some: Leaders had been warned that another Epstein eruption could be coming in other corners of the House. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said he had told Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last week that if the House was in session this week, he would not be able to stop Republicans from making moves for more Epstein information. 'I told Speaker Johnson last week that if we were in session this week that Republicans on the Oversight Committee were going to move to be more aggressive and try to get transparency with the Epstein files,' Comer said on Thursday. Comer's full committee on Tuesday approved a motion from Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex offender and longtime Epstein associate. Johnson subsequently raised doubts about Maxwell's credibility and usefulness of her testimony. 'Can we trust what she's gonna say, even if she raises her hand and says that she'll testify under oath?' Johnson said. 'Is that something that can be trusted? You know, that's a reasonable question. Is that credible evidence?' Comer, bound by the rules of the committee, issued the Maxwell subpoena and hopes to depose her from prison on Aug. 11. But that wasn't all. On Wednesday, an Oversight subcommittee greenlit a motion from Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) to subpoena the Department of Justice on materials relating to Epstein — with three Republicans joining Democrats to approve the subpoena. Softening the blow from the Democratic motion, the subcommittee also approved by voice vote a motion from Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to approve a swath of subpoenas to high profile former Democratic officials, including the former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who knew Maxwell and Epstein. 'I'm surprised that the Democrats went along with subpoenaing Bill and Hillary Clinton and others that were involved with that,' Comer said Thursday. 'I never thought we would be questioning the Clintons and others on — with respect to the Epstein files, but the Democrats voted in a bipartisan manner yesterday to do that.' The drama didn't end there. The House Appropriations Committee postponed a markup for a bill to fund the Justice Department and other agencies that had been scheduled for Thursday, as Democrats were planning to force more amendment votes on Epstein. A source told The Hill that Democrats were 'absolutely' going to bring more votes on Epstein amendments, adding: 'We think that may be one of the reasons they canceled.' Markups in the past have been shifted due to changes in the House calendar, and the Appropriations Committee noted that votes were canceled on Thursday when postponing the markup. The wave of action on Capitol Hill comes as the Trump administration is taking steps to try and quell the anger — but those efforts that are already running into roadblocks. Last week, President Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to move to release relevant grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case. On Wednesday, however, a federal judge in Florida declined that entreaty, rebuffing their attempt at releasing information from the Sunshine State's 2005 and 2007 federal investigations into Epstein. And this week, a top Justice Department official was expected to meet with Maxwell in Florida. Massie said the administration's efforts won't be enough to quell the outcry among GOP lawmakers. 'They're gonna do drips and drabs,' he said of the administration's attempts to release information, 'and so the drips and drabs aren't gonna get it done.' If that is the case, more House action could be on the horizon. Johnson said if the administration does not provide enough information, the chamber would take matters into their own hands come the fall. 'This information should have come out a long time ago,' Johnson told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday. 'I've been an advocate of that, we all have. But that process is underway right now, and we've got to zealously guard that and protect it and make sure it's happening. And if it doesn't, then we'll take appropriate action when everybody returns here. But we have to allow the court process to play out, that's how it works.' NewsNation contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
